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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

After my less than stellar performance at Wildflower, I needed a boost. So I thought: What better way than to immediately jump back into racing! There was a local sprint triathlon that some friends were doing, so I figured it would be a great opportunity to have some fun.

Race morning started just like any other: 4:30am "wakeup" after getting ZERO sleep. AARRRGHHHH - My body needs to learn how to sleep before a race! Damn you body! Despite feeling like garbage, I get on the road by 5:10 to make it to the race by 6. Transition setup was pretty standard, but one major difference with this race was I actually did a warmup jog. After Cal Poly a few months ago, I figured out the best way to ward off a chilly morning is to sweat a little. And with 15min will party-time, I was nice and warm and good to go.

Swim: 18:23 - 2nd AG
Not sure how I managed 2nd in the 25-29 dudes. I honestly felt like I had a pretty slow swim. Why slow? Good question... It was, in my opinion, a really easy swim. The buoys were easy to spot, and I wasn't ever duking it out with anyone. I actually had clear water as far as I could see - it was great! I LOVE swims with nothing but glass ahead of me. I was convinced I was swimming straight, but according to my watch, I ended up going .84 miles instead of .75. Bummer!

Bike: 45:26 - 5th AG
Out on the bike, things got a little lonely. As far as I could see in front of me and behind me, I saw no one. Curses starting in the first wave and swimming moderately fast! Out of transition, I started doing work. I have absolutely no basis for this, but I felt like I should be able to manage 270-280w. So that was my game plan: Keep avg power in that range and get it done. Around mile 4.5, I had a little incident where some busted up roads caused me to eject my only water bottle. "Uh oh, I had better pick that up," I thought, so I did. It cost me about 15 seconds, and at the time, it didn't seem like a huge deal. The only guy that ended up passing me on the bike was the eventual winner - some dude with a MONSTER 39min bike split.

Run: 31:39 - 2nd AG
T2 was blazing fast. 36 seconds to be exact. My Zoot shoes are totally ballin'! Out of transition, I NEVER know how to run. Three years of triathlons, and my sense of pace is all kind of messed up. I thought I was doing 6:30's, but my first mile clicks off at 6:16! Too fast? Maybe, but I'm riding this out for all it's worth! Five flat miles is cookies compared to what I usually do. Sadly, same story on the run: No one in site. :( I'd have to wait a bit until the turn-around to see where I stood.

At the halfway point on the run, I counted five dudes. I knew three were pro/elite which meant that I was most likely in 3rd. Crap - if I get passed I miss the podium! Instead of an easy cruise home, I had to pick it up...or at least maintain. About a minute back was a guy that looked like he was kicking ass. No idea what age group he was in, but I was running scared! I ended up crossing the line without the need for a sprint finish.

Finishing second in my age group was pretty awesome. This was the first time I "podiumed" in a triathlon. Granted, I don't feel like it was super competitive, but it still feels good. And the Petite Sirah that I won...that's going to feel even better. :)

A few shout-outs before I sign off here:
- My friend Dirk was visiting from Malaysia, and instead of being heavily jet lagged, he decided to race a triathlon - badass!
- Work dudes: Always fun to have active people to train with at work.
- Dave B: Congrats on your first triathlon! You killed the run! Great to see you out there buddy.
- Olivia: Congrats on the overall women's win!

Monday, May 6, 2013

It's been a while since I had an update, and this one is going to be a tough one to write. Wildflower 2013 (#3 for me) was a sufferfest. My goal in writing this is to try to analyze what went wrong and to hopefully learn from it. No one wants to have a bad race, and the key to avoiding them is analyzing and racing smart. So let's begin:

Pre-race training:
Leading up to the race I was feeling good. Training was consistent and mostly focused. My swim was lacking a bit, but losing a minute or two on the swim was the least of my worries. I was coming off of an amazing open half marathon PR, and my expectations were high.

Then race week happened. Work was rough. I was under prepared for a midterm. We had to volunteer for the Treeathlon. I had to pack for Wildflower. And at the last minute I found out that I had to race on my newly built, unproven road bike. Suffice to say, stress levels were through the roof.

Pre-race:
Friday - HOLY CRAP it was hot. My goal was to not do much and stay as hydrated as possible. I was drinking water and Gatorade like crazy, and I was still thirsty. From past experience, I DO NOT race well in the heat. I was worried.

Swim:
I really enjoyed this swim. It is by far one of the easiest open water swims at any triathlon. The water was smooth and WARM! Oh man, I can't tell you how awesome the water temps were. Perfect for a sleeveless wetsuit! At 31min, my swim was a little slow, but as mentioned before, I expected that and was ok with it.

Bike: http://app.strava.com/activities/52707834
This is where the problems began. 10 miles into the bike, I had to stop. My bottle cage holding down my Di2 battery was loose and rattling like crazy, and my bike seat was pushed all the way back. I made the decision to stop and tighten things up. The less I have to worry about, the better.

Then around the 20mi mark, my ass and lower back were killing me. You're not supposed to try anything new for a race. Well, not only did I have a new seat, but I also had a new BIKE. Obviously not a good decision to race on it, but the alternative was just as undesirable. Queue back stretches every few miles and standing breaks to relieve the ass pressure.

By mile 40, I was almost broken. Bike noises, sore ass, and screaming back were wearing me down. Nasty Grade never looked so steep. I CRAWLED to the top. It seems another thing was getting me down too: Dehydration. While worrying about everything else, I was neglecting the fact that I had to take care of my body, and I was paying the price. Lack of energy and ability to produce power added to the mental collapse.

Run: http://app.strava.com/activities/52702690
This race ties with Ironman Florida for never wanting to get off my bike more in my life. I wanted to be excited about running, but I wasn't. Mentally, I was ruined. Physically, I was ruined. 50 steps out of transition, I had to walk. Quads were cramping. This was the story for the entire run - all 13 miles of it.

Full results: http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20130504_Wildflower_Triathlons.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Bib=280

Post-race thoughts:
It's blantantly obvious that this race was poorly executed:
- High stress levels before the race - Better preparation could have helped.
- Dehydration on the bike - Better hydration plan with LOTS of practice. If there's anything I need to learn, it's how to race in HOT weather.
- Bike issue - TEST the bike ahead of time.
- Use the right tools for the job - Road bikes are not for triathlon racing.

I think that's about it. I wish I could been limited by fitness, and it's really soul-crushing for that not to be the case. I know I'm fit, but long distance triathlon is as much about brains as it is about fitness. THAT'S the reason I got into this game. I'm not stupid, but on Saturday I was. Time to learn and get better.

About Me

I'm a 31 year old AG triathlete. I'm mediocre at best, but hard work pays off. I've worked hard for five years, and I finally qualified for Kona at Vineman 2016. 9:25, 3rd in M30-34 and 5th age grouper.